According to the Cubs’ transactions page, Kameron Loe, who was DFA’d earlier in the week and then outrighted to Iowa, has declined his assignment to Iowa and instead elected free agency. His time with the Cubs was largely unsuccessful, but I don’t have a beef with the Cubs taking a chance on him. The bullpen was in disarray, and you might as well take a shot at guys like Loe and Kevin Gregg if they come, essentially, for free. Look how Gregg has worked out so far.

Paul Sullivan writes about the sabermetric leanings of the Cubs organization in the Epstein/Hoyer/Sveum era, including the (so far) correct decision not to aggressively pursue guys like Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols. An interest part of the article is the reminder that Dale Sveum once referred to sabermetrics as “cybermetrics,” which is funny because Sveum’s managerial decisions almost always seem to be dictated by the numbers.

I’m not a luddite about many things, but Instagram is one of the. So, thanks to BN’er Jesse for passing on a picture from Albert Amora’s Instagram that is of some bats and a comment “back at it again, injury free.” I’d been asking for a week what was up with Almora appearing in an Extended Spring Training game and then going off the map for over a week. I’m guessing he felt a little discomfort after that game, and need a week off. Hopefully he’s back in action today, and for good.

Jorge Soler comes in for some praise over at MiLB.com. Thanks to a recent hot streak, Soler’s line is up to an impressive .290/.374/.559, and he’s got almost as many walks (12) and extra base hits (14) as strikeouts (16). In other words, dude is pretty much destroying High-A right now. That same article includes discussion of what the Cubs are doing with Javier Baez, trying to improve on his contact issues.

The “Beat Brett’s Face” fantasy baseball contest runs today – it starts with this evening’s games – so you’re running out of time to sign up. The other reason you’re running out of time is that there are only 50 slots, and, at last check, 41 of them were full. So if you want a shot at part of the $500 prize pool, and a bonus of $5 if you beat me, sign up for the contest here. (Full details here. Note: this is a pay contest, and it costs $11 to participate.)

Get In Touch

Site Archives

Site Archives

Disclaimer

In addition to news, Bleacher Nation publishes both rumor and opinion, as well as information reported by other sources. Information on Bleacher Nation may contain errors or inaccuracies, though we try to avoid them. Links to content and the quotation of material from other news sources are not the responsibility of Bleacher Nation. Photos used are the property of Bleacher Nation, are used with permission, are fair use, or are believed to be in the public domain. Legitimate requests to remove copyrighted photos not in the public domain will be honored promptly. Comments by third parties are neither sponsored or endorsed by Bleacher Nation.

Bleacher Nation Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Bleacher Nation is a private media site, and it is not affiliated in any way with Major League Baseball or the Chicago Cubs. Neither MLB nor the Chicago Cubs have endorsed, supported, directed, or participated in the creation of the content at this site, or in the creation of the site itself. It's just a media site that happens to cover the Chicago Cubs.

Bleacher Nation is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.